American alpine skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin finished 11th in the women’s giant slalom at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday, but the two-time Olympic gold medalist expressed optimism about her performance and what lies ahead.
The 30-year-old Shiffrin, widely regarded as the most decorated skier in history, started strong with the seventh-fastest time in her first run on the challenging Tofane course. Wearing bib No. 3, she held a competitive position early but slipped four spots in the second run, ultimately finishing 0.92 seconds behind gold medalist Federica Brignone of Italy. Swedish skiers Sara Hector and Thea Louise Stjernesund shared silver, with Shiffrin just 0.3 seconds off the podium places in a tightly contested field.
Shiffrin’s combined time was approximately 2:14.42. Despite missing the podium in her second event of these Games—following a narrow fourth-place result in the team combined earlier—she emphasized the positives. She described the race as “the greatest show of giant slalom skiing that we’ve had in a really long time,” praising Brignone’s dominant performance and the high level of competition.
“This went better than expected,” Shiffrin said post-race, noting that she pushed as hard as possible across both runs. Completing two clean runs marked significant progress compared to her 2022 Beijing Olympics giant slalom, where she crashed out early. Shiffrin has been open about overcoming mental and physical challenges from a serious puncture wound injury in 2024 that affected her confidence in the discipline.
“To be here now within touch of the fastest women, that’s huge for me,” she added. “I’m proud of that.” The razor-thin margins—mere tenths of a second separating much of the top group—underscored the event’s intensity and left Shiffrin feeling she is trending in the right direction.
Shiffrin’s Olympic medal drought continues, now spanning eight consecutive events since her last individual medal (gold in giant slalom and silver in combined at PyeongChang 2018). However, she remains upbeat, highlighting the joy of the sport and the inspiration from elite racing on display.
The U.S. skier’s best event, slalom—where she has dominated this season with seven of eight World Cup wins and already clinched the crystal globe—looms on Wednesday. Many expect that race to offer her strongest chance for a medal in Italy.
Teammates Paula Moltzan finished 15th and Nina O’Brien 20th in the giant slalom, with Shiffrin leading the American contingent.
As the Games progress, Shiffrin’s resilience and positive outlook continue to shine, reminding fans why she remains one of alpine skiing’s most enduring figures.
